Tag Archives for megachurch

Larger churches often recognize what small churches might miss—there are advantages to being little. Through small groups, multisite campuses, and now microsites, those megachurches are attempting to continue their growth while retaining small-church benefits.

“Churches are taking advantage of Dunbar’s number,” says Bob Whitesel, a professor at Indiana Wesleyan University and church growth expert. Robin Dunbar, a British anthropologist, found humans can comfortably maintain only around 150 stable relationships. Beyond that, says Whitesel, “relationships don’t seem to have much depth.”

This is why he believes many churches stall around this plateau. “Once it gets bigger than that, people stop inviting others because they no longer know everyone else at church,” he says.

It’s incumbent on large church leaders to capitalize on smaller groups that organically emerge in the church. Whitesel calls these “sub-congregations,” and they mirror other numbers Dunbar found in his research. Groups of 50 can unite around a task, such as the music ministry or preschool volunteers. Small group gatherings of 15 have the feel of an extended family, and groups of five are intimate connections.

These numbers have been seen not only in sociological research but also in church history, Whitesel says. “In the Wesleyan revivals, every leader had to be involved in what they called ‘Band Meetings’ of five individuals. Larger groups of 15 were called ‘Class Meetings.’”

With this sociological and historical support, church consulting experts identify at least four areas that can be more easily developed in smaller churches…

Commentary by Dr. Whitesel: This research by the Hartford Institute for Religion Research and Leadership Network points out that megachurches are internationally comprised of lower socio-economic congregants, while in No. America they are reaching mostly an upper socio-economic strata. This has implications for the goals and economies of megacongregations. For instance, is there greater responsibility put upon these churches and for what missional end? Read this article before you craft your answer.

… while the United States may have started the trend, the future of megachurches may lie in the rest of the world.

Based on data from the Hartford Institute for Religion Research and from the Christian nonprofit organization Leadership Network, WorldViews visualized this global and diverse movement. We used the most common definition of megachurches, which describes them as having “2,000 or more persons in attendance at weekly worship, a charismatic, authoritative senior minister, a 7 day a week community,” and other features which you can find in detail here.

Why global megachurches are bigger than U.S. megachurches

Despite American roots that reach back to the 19th century, megachurches abroad now have a higher average attendance, even though the vast majority of megachurches are still in the United States. While there are 230 to 500 such churches elsewhere in the world, the Hartford Institute estimates that there are about three times more megachurches in the United States.

In the United States, the median weekly attendance is about 2,750, while the median weekly in world megachurches is nearly 6,000. One factor that could explain the larger sizes on other continents is a lack of alternatives for believers.

“Outside the United States, it takes a large amount of charisma and capital to create a megachurch,” said Scott Thumma, director of the Hartford Institute. In the United States, however, competition among megachurches is fierce because it is easier to establish such communities. “It is harder to be massive here in U.S.,” Thumma added, citing zoning laws, safety inspections, construction and property costs.

Nevertheless, he believes that smaller megachurches do not lag behind in an international comparison. “I was just at four megachurches within a few miles of each other in Atlanta, and each of these cater to a slightly different audience,” Thumma said.

The differences between U.S. and global megachurches can even be noticed on satellite images. Abroad, megachurches are often constructed in the centers of cities, where they are accessed by foot, subway, bus or cab. In the United States, community members usually access the churches by car. To provide the necessary parking lots, U.S. megachurches are often in suburban areas.

This is the story of Northpoint Community Church in Alpharetta, Georgia, located twenty miles north of Atlanta. Founding pastor, Andy Stanley, shares the story of Northpoint Community Church and outlines the church’s ministry philosophy for other churches and leaders to evaluate and follow. Deep & Wide offers a balanced mix of narrative story, ministry philosophy, and practical advice for the local church.

For the first third of the book (Sections One and Two), Stanley shares the story and origins of Northpoint Community Church (Northpoint). Beginning in the days when he was a youth pastor for his well-known father, Charles, Stanley shares specific details of the situations and events that occurred leading to the founding of Northpoint. Surprising, Stanley (with the permission of his father), shares the story of his parents’ divorce that drove a temporary wedge between he and his father. Yet, God used this to begin Northpoint and bring healing to a wounded pastor.

Section Three of Deep & Wide is entitled “Going Deep.” In these chapters, Stanley outlines the approach Northpoint takes regarding spiritual formation. Northpoint seeks to engage with people in five distinct areas to promote spiritual formation: practical teaching, private disciplines, personal ministry, providential relationships, and pivotal circumstances. Over the next several chapters, Stanley outlines the philosophies of each of these areas and offers practical advice in sections titled, “Back at the Church.” Some suggestions include: a call to action at the end of every sermon, getting people involved in volunteer ministry quickly, and creating environments that foster meaningful relationships. One unique view of Northpoint is their closed Community Groups. Northpoint’s structure is to close a group to visitors once the group launches. The group then stays together for two years. Stanley believes this helps to increase the relationship building within the group structure as compared to open groups that change frequently.

Section Four is entitled “Going Wide” and discusses Northpoint’s ministry philosophy on outreach and evangelism. One key philosophy of Northpoint is to create “irresistible environments.” A key focus of Northpoint is reaching out to people that do not attend church. Stanley and Northpoint have adopted an attractional style of ministry. Northpoint evaluates the setting, the presentation, and the content being offered, in their words. Stanley firmly believes in practical preaching that offers Biblical teaching to believers and practical life advice to newcomers. Section Four ends with several templates Northpoint uses to create a service, including welcome, their approach to music, and preaching guidelines from Stanley.

Section Five is dedicated to taking the principles and philosophies Stanley outlined in the first four sections and making them practical for the local church to implement. Stanley focuses heavily on the differences between the Mission of the Church and models churches can use to reach the mission. He is open in the fact that Northpoint’s methods are just one method and discourages churches from blindly adopting their methods without due diligence. Stanley walks through a process from mission to vision to model to programming.

Deep & Wide was an interesting autobiographical case study of one of the largest churches in the country. While Northpoint has experienced tremendous success, it is difficult to connect with a church using the attractional method that runs in the tens of thousands each weekend. This sets an unrealistic goal for many churches, although it is clear Stanley is not trying to have churches match their size. Stanley offers practical advice on what can work in the local church in modern America. He is thoughtful and strategic. Therefore, Deep & Wide can be a valuable resource for church leaders who connect with Northpoint’s ministry philosophy.

Commentary by Dr. Whitesel: Formerly it was how big you are. But for today’s organizations it is how fast you “learn.” See this Harvard Business Review article that reminds us it’s not the scalability of mega-churches, but rather the ability of organizations to learn and innovate as conditions change that make healthy organizations.

The New Organization Model: Learning at Scale

In recent posts we’ve described a massive institutional transformation that will occur as part of the big shift: the move from institutions designed for scalable efficiency to institutions designed for scalable learning. The core questions we all need to address are: who will drive this transformation? Who will be the agents of change? Will it be institutional leaders from above or individuals from below and from the outside of our current institutions?

Used to be institutional leaders were the only ones who could change institutions. Why? Because, in an era of scalable efficiency, both work and consumption had to be standardized. It was impossible to get the necessary scale effects otherwise. Standardizing them required a top-down approach. Strong institutional leaders were necessary to mold individuals into two primary roles: customers that consumed products pushed to them on fixed schedules and employees who performed repetitive tasks from nine to five.

Now we have a new infrastructure, a digital infrastructure creating near-constant disruption. By freeing people to interact and collaborate with others outside of traditional hierarchical organizations, by reducing information asymmetries between producers of goods and services and those who buy them, by democratizing control over communications and media–in these and other ways our digital infrastructure is granting new autonomy and freedom to individuals, both as consumers and as employees. (For more about this see The Wealth of Networks by Yochai Benkler.) As a result, individuals wield new influence with and power over the institutions with which they interrelate.

…But what about the people who attend really big churches? Fellow researcher Scott Thumma and I surveyed some 25,000 of them, with some fascinating discoveries:

1. Nearly two-thirds of attenders have been at these churches 5 years or less.
2. Many attenders come from other churches, but nearly a quarter haven’t been in any church for a long time before coming to a megachurch.
3. New people almost always come to the megachurch because family, friends or coworkers invited them.
4. Fifty-five percent of megachurch attenders volunteer at the church in some way (a higher percentage than in smaller churches).
5. What first attracted attenders were the worship style, the senior pastor and the church’s reputation, in that order.
6. These same factors also influenced long-term attendance, as did the music/arts, social and community outreach, and adult-oriented programs.
7. Attenders report a considerable increase in their involvement in church, in their spiritual growth, and in their needs being met.
8. Attenders can craft unique, customized spiritual experiences through the multitude of ministry choices and diverse avenues for involvement that megachurches offer.
9. In many ways, large churches today are making good progress in reaching people and moving them from spectators to active participants to growing disciples of Jesus Christ.

For more interesting facts about people who attend megachurches, download the free report Not Who You Think They Are: The Real Story of People Who Attend America’s Megachurches.

Commentary by Dr. Whitesel: Two of my research colleagues, Dr.s Elmer Towns and Warren Bird have just released an interview discussing innovative churches of the 20th Century and how they have impacted how we do ministry today. Dr. Towns has been a mentor to both myself and Warren, and I think you will glean historical insights from this interview.